Joint Communiqué released to strengthen partnership for SDGs

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, International Fund for Agricultural Development, World Food Programme, International Poverty Reduction Center in China, and China Internet Information Center released Joint Communiqué on Strengthening Partnership for Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals through Knowledge Sharing, Exchange and Cooperation, today at the International Workshop on Global Poverty Reduction Partnerships in Rome, Italy.

The five organizations agree to share their knowledge and best practices, and to build a dialogue platform for international exchange and cooperation, so as to promote South-South Cooperation and Sustainable Development Goals. Below is the full text:

Joint Communiqué on Strengthening Partnership 

for Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals 

through Knowledge Sharing, Exchange and Cooperation

The Rome-based UN Organizations of the United Nations (the RBAs, namely FAO, IFAD and WFP), the International Poverty Reduction Center in China (IPRCC) and China Internet Information Center (CIIC) (hereafter referred collectively as "the Parties') hereby declare their commitment for partnership in striving to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), particularly SDG 1, SDG2 and SDG17. The Parties will explore opportunities to develop and strengthen the partnership in the following perspectives: 

I. Strengthen sharing and exchange of knowledge and best practices 

1.1 In accordance with their policy on confidentiality, the parties agree to share their research findings, successful experiences and best practices, and other knowledge products relating to poverty reduction, rural transformation, eradication of hunger and improvement of food security and nutrition on a timely basis. 

1.2 The parties agree to strengthen interactions among their existing knowledge sharing platforms to realize cross-reference and sharing of thematic information and links. The specific platforms include the Global Poverty Reduction and Inclusive Growth Portal jointly run by the IPRCC and CIIC, the FAO Rural Poverty Reduction Knowledge Exchange Platforms operated by FAO, the Rural Solution Portal by IFAD, and the South-South Cooperation Knowledge Sharing Platform by WFP.  Efforts will also be made to link to wider UN's ongoing platforms, such as the UN-system wide South-South Knowledge Platform – SSMart for SDGs. 

II. Build a dialogue platform for international exchange and cooperation 

2.1 The parties agree to organize two forums/workshops every year starting from 2019 (in Beijing and Rome respectively) on the themes common for all the parties. Through such events the relevant experiences and innovations will be shared, related projects may be promoted and extensive international exchange and cooperation will be facilitated and promoted. The agenda and themes of the forums/workshops will be agreed upon by all parties through consultation.

2.2 The China Poverty Reduction International Forum in Beijing will be co-organized by the IPRCC and CIIC, who will bear the forum expenses and take charge of forum preparations. To expand its influence and facilitate cooperation, the forum will invite appropriate agencies relevant to poverty and hunger eradication, such as the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank.

2.3. The Workshop on Global Poverty Reduction in Rome will be organized by FAO, IFAD and WFP on a rotational basis, who will bear the workshop venue expenses and take charge of the workshop preparations.

III. Promote Poverty Reduction Partnership

3.1. The parties agree to establish partnership to carry out cooperation on projects of common interest through consultation, including but not limited to theoretical research, practical case development, promotion of knowledge products, training for capacity improvement and international demonstration projects relating to the themes of common interest in the context of poverty and hunger eradication, food security and nutrition improvement. 

3.2. The parties agree to strengthen their cooperation to enhance South-South and Triangular Cooperation (SSTC) on the specific thematic topics relating to SDG1 and SDG2. Among others, the parties will explore joint contributions to the United Nations Conferences on South-South Cooperation. 

The Parties will cooperate on a non-exclusive basis. The Parties acknowledge and recognize that this Joint Communiqué is not intended to be legally binding and that the understandings set forth herein do not and shall not constitute or create any obligations on the Parties and that nothing in this Joint Communiqué shall be construed as a waiver of any of the privileges and immunities of FAO, IFAD and WFP.